BABIANA 



THE BULB BOOK 



BABIANA 



give water only wlien the soil is 

 getting dry. This should be particu- 

 larly noted in the winter season, 

 when the plants absorb water very 

 slowly. At this period of the year 

 also, only tepid or lukewarm water 

 should be given, and not ice-cold 

 water from the tap. Should the 

 leaves become infested with scale, 

 thrips, or red spider, they should be 

 sponged with soapy water or some 

 well-known insecticide, taking care 

 first of all to scrape the scale insects 

 ofi' with a piece of pointed stick. 



When grown in cool greenhouses 

 in shade. Aspidistras naturally grow 

 much more quickly than in ordinary 

 dwelling-rooms ; and gardeners who 

 make a speciality of them can produce 

 some magnificent specimens in a year 

 or two. During active growth, weak 

 liquid manure is given once or twice 

 a week, and copious supplies of water 

 are given according to the state of 

 the weather and the rapidity of 

 growth. A nice syringing early in 

 the morning, and late in the after- 

 noon, is highly beneficial to the 

 plants, especially during the warmer 

 months of the year. To secure the 

 finest long-leaved specimens, Aspidis- 

 tras are grown in a high temperature, 

 in deep shade, and in a very humid 

 atmosphere. They are afterwards 

 hardened off in cooler and less humid 

 houses for sale. 



Besides A. lurida, the other species 

 are A. ptmctata (or A. elatior), from 

 Japan, 2 to 3 ft. high {Bot. Mag. t. 

 5386), and its variegated forms, 

 with white or yellow bands or 

 blotches. 



BABIANA (babianer, the Dutch for 

 baboon ; in reference to the bulbs being 

 eaten by baboons). Nat. Ord. IrideEe. 

 — A genus of herbaceous plants with 

 fibrous-coated'corms or bulbs, stifiish, 

 plaited, narrow, hairy leaves, and 



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funnel - shaped flowers in dense 

 spikes, 



With one exception, viz., B. soco- 

 trana, all the species are natives of 

 S. Africa. They are all similar in 

 appearance so far as height and 

 foliage are concerned, and they rarely 

 exceed a foot in height. They are 

 usually grown in pots in a compost 

 of sandy loam and leaf-soil, for the 

 decoration of the cool greenhouse 

 during the summer months, from 

 May to September. During this 

 period of growth and development, 

 water must be given freely when 

 needed ; but in winter, when the 

 bulbs are at rest, they may be kept 

 almost quite dry in the old soil. 



Where a warm or even hot sunny 

 border is available, Babianas may be 

 grown out of doors fairly well, especi- 

 ally in the most favoured parts of the 

 Kingdom. The soil should be deeply 

 dug, well manured, and should con- 

 sist of loam with plenty of coarse 

 sand or grit in it. The bulbs should 

 be planted in spring when starting 

 into growth, and after growth in the 

 autumn should be protected from 

 cold rains with a sloping roof of litter. 

 Indeed, they may be treated exactly 

 like their relatives the Ixias (which 

 see). They are propagated by offsets 

 from the older bulbs in spring. 



The following are some of the best 

 kinds, remarkable for their colours, 

 and often for their fragrance : — 



B. disticha. — 6 ins. Blue. June. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 626.) 



B. plloata. — 6 ins. Purple. May. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 576.) 



B. ringens.— 3 to 6 ins. Scarlet. 

 May. (Bot. Mag. t. 6667.) 



B. sambucina. — 6 ins. Purple. 

 April. (Bot. Mag. t. 1019.) 



B. soootrana. — 4 to 6 ins. Violet, 

 blue. Sept. (Bot. Mag. t. 6585.) 



B. spathacea. — 6 ins. Light blue. 

 June. (Bot. Mag. t. 638.) 



